What are private lenders and how do they work?

Private lenders are entities that loan money to individuals or businesses but are not tied to any bank or credit union. A private lender could be an individual or it could be an entire company, such as LightStream or Best Egg. A private lender can fund many different varieties of loans, but two of the most common are real estate loans and personal loans.

Private lenders tend to have faster approval times than banks or credit unions, thanks to streamlined or informal application processes. Private lenders may also be more willing to work with people who have bad credit. Many online private lenders have minimum credit score requirements in the bad credit range. And individuals may not care all that much what your credit score is.

How Private Lenders Work

Loans from private lenders work just like loans from banks or credit unions. You receive funding to buy a property, make a purchase, consolidate debt, make home improvements or any number of other expenses. Then, you pay the amount you borrowed back in installments, with interest. That’s how the lender makes money.

Private Lending Companies

The first major type of private lender is a private lending company. Just like banks, these companies look to profit off of the interest you pay them. When it comes to personal loans, companies referred to as “online lenders” are private lenders that conduct all of their business over the internet.

The second big type of private lender is an individual. Individual private lenders can be investors who are looking to earn money through the interest borrowers pay on loans. This may get them a better return than leaving their money in the bank would. Individual private lenders can also just be people the borrower knows who are willing to help out with funding and may not be as keen to make a profit.

Three main “circles” of individual private lenders:

Primary circle: Family members, friends and colleagues – people who know you directly. You have the best chance of getting them to lend you money because they have a personal relationship with you and know your situation firsthand.

Secondary circle: Minor acquaintances and friends of friends – people you have a connection to but don’t know as well. These people may be willing to hear your pitch for investing because you have some association with them.

Third party circle: Accredited investors you don’t know. Getting money from them will usually take the most effort in terms of reaching out and convincing them that you are a worthwhile client. However, the process can be made easier through “peer to peer” lending sites that streamline connections online.

Are Private Lenders Legal?

It’s perfectly legal for organizations other than banks and credit unions to lend money. However, private lenders still have to comply with the usury laws and banking laws of the states in which they operate. In other words, the rates that they’re able to charge are regulated. Plus, depending on the state, a private lender might only be able to lend a certain amount without having a banking license.

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You can get a personal loan from a bank, a credit union or an online lender. The key to getting a personal loan is to do your research, both on the loan providers and the terms of their offers. WalletHub makes it easy to compare personal loans and has user reviews for lenders big and small. Once you’ve decided on the right loan for you, WalletHub can bring you directly to its secure online application.… read full answer

Below, you can get to know the major players and see where most other consumers have gotten their personal loans.

Popular Personal Loan Companies:

American Express

Avant

Discover

LendingClub

Lightstream by SunTrust Bank

Marcus by Goldman Sachs

Prosper

SoFi

Wells Fargo

Before applying for a personal loan, you may also want to check for pre-qualification. If you are pre-qualified for a personal loan, your chances of actually being approved are very high but not guaranteed. Pre-qualification uses a harmless soft inquiry while actually applying for a loan triggers a hard inquiry that may temporarily lower your credit score. You can use WalletHub’s free tool to check your pre-qualification status with multiple lenders at once.

On that note, your credit score will affect where you can get a personal loan. Big banks tend to offer loans to people with good or excellent credit. Credit unions, which have a more personal connection with their clients, are more likely to offer personal loans to applicants with lower scores. Online lenders are the newest players, and some of them offer bad credit loans as well.

Now that you know where to get a personal loan, it’s also important to take note of where NOT to get a personal loan – a payday lender. Payday loans go by many names, including payday advances, payroll loans and cash advance loans. With this type of loan, the lender lets you borrow money against your next paycheck. Since payday loans are short-term, the finance charges are incredibly high to ensure the lender makes money. Lenders usually charge a fee on the borrowed amount that is equivalent to an APR of over 300%-600% in most cases. It’s best to avoid these types of loans altogether.

Getting a personal loan is a lot easier than many people think. Most people are familiar with the credit card application process, however, and getting a personal loan is very similar. In general, you comparison shop to find an offer that suits your needs in terms of loan amount, length and APR. Then, you check for pre-approval to gauge your odds of success. Once you’re confident you want to apply, you fill out an application with some key personal and financial information, submit it and wait for a decision. Applying for a personal loan can be done in a matter of minutes, and you may find out whether you’re approved within a few days.… read full answer

How to Get a Personal Loan:

Compare offers after checking your credit score.

Check for pre-qualification.

Fill out an online application.

Get a decision.

Receive a bank transfer for the loan amount.

The first step in the personal loan process is always to check your credit score. Personal loan companies, just like credit card issuers, will look at your credit when you apply to see if you qualify. The higher your credit score is, the more loans you’ll qualify for and the better terms you’ll get. You can check your credit score for free with WalletHub. It’s also a good idea to take a look at your credit report and dispute any errors before applying.

Once you know your credit score, you’re ready to compare personal loan offers. Take note of the credit requirements that each available loan has, and narrow them down to ones you can likely qualify for. Then, compare other terms, like interest rates, estimated monthly payments, loan amounts and timeframes. These can vary widely depending on the lender.

After you’ve narrowed down your selections to a few personal loans with the best terms you can find, you’ll want to see whether any of the lenders offer pre-qualification. Pre-qualification is a way to check how likely you are to get approved for a loan without actually applying. You’ll just have to give the lender some basic personal information like your Social Security number. Pre-qualification will not affect your credit. If you are pre-qualified, you won’t necessarily be approved. But your chances are about as high as they can get.

By this point, you should make a decision on which loan to apply for. When you apply, it’s best to do so online. That way, you’ll have the potential for the fastest decision possible. The application will ask for basic personal information like your name and address, plus financial information like your income, employment status and monthly housing payment. Be sure to fill out everything accurately and truthfully.

All that’s left now is to wait for a decision. It could happen instantly or could take a few weeks, based on how well you meet the loan’s credit and income requirements and how quickly the lender can verify your personal information. If you’re approved, the lender will send you a bank transfer for the amount of the loan. Make sure you manage the loan responsibly after that. Pay on time every month, and pay more than the monthly minimum if you’re able to.

WalletHub Answers is a free service that helps consumers access financial information. Information on WalletHub Answers is provided “as is” and should not be considered financial, legal or investment advice. WalletHub is not a financial advisor, law firm, “lawyer referral service,” or a substitute for a financial advisor, attorney, or law firm. You may want to hire a professional before making any decision. WalletHub does not endorse any particular contributors and cannot guarantee the quality or reliability of any information posted. The helpfulness of a financial advisor's answer is not indicative of future advisor performance.

WalletHub members have a wealth of knowledge to share, and we encourage everyone to do so while respecting our content guidelines. Please keep in mind that editorial and user-generated content on this page is not reviewed or otherwise endorsed by any financial institution. In addition, it is not a financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered.

Ad Disclosure: Certain offers that appear on this site originate from paying advertisers, and this will be noted on an offer’s details page using the designation "Sponsored", where applicable. Advertising may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). At WalletHub we try to present a wide array of offers, but our offers do not represent all financial services companies or products.

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WalletHub Answers is a free service that helps consumers access financial information. Information on WalletHub Answers is provided “as is” and should not be considered financial, legal or investment advice. WalletHub is not a financial advisor, law firm, “lawyer referral service,” or a substitute for a financial advisor, attorney, or law firm. You may want to hire a professional before making any decision. WalletHub does not endorse any particular contributors and cannot guarantee the quality or reliability of any information posted. The helpfulness of a financial advisor's answer is not indicative of future advisor performance.

WalletHub members have a wealth of knowledge to share, and we encourage everyone to do so while respecting our content guidelines. Please keep in mind that editorial and user-generated content on this page is not reviewed or otherwise endorsed by any financial institution. In addition, it is not a financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered.

Ad Disclosure: Certain offers that appear on this site originate from paying advertisers, and this will be noted on an offer’s details page using the designation "Sponsored", where applicable. Advertising may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). At WalletHub we try to present a wide array of offers, but our offers do not represent all financial services companies or products.